Is Visual Kei a Fashion, Music Genre, or Movement? Exploring V-Kei with Buttcape &  

As a goth, the whole "fashion vs music" debate is just as familiar as it is exausting. Also, the bands not wanting to say they are V-Kei. Funny how the subcultures have similar issues.

11:46 ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! HOT TOPIC SOLD VKEI MERCH IN THE 2000s?????!!!!! why did I have to grow up in this era.

I was all about visual kei back in the 2000s. When I saw Malice Mizer I was like wow and for me the music was first but of course the fashion was very important. I’m always happy for more exposure about visual kei. Just awesome.

I always felt like the style and music werr connected and couldn't exist without ech other. And from the style side: I see vkei as a concept thing. You have the basics like direction for hair, makeup and shapes, the whole genderthing and you just do what you wanna do in this style

I think v-Kei is slowly reviving...at least in the west, recently I have also started to see more TikTok that blow up talking about v-kei that have over thousands of likes, comments, and shares.

AMAZING! I've been into Vkei since 2006 and it's had such a huge impact on my life. It was my intro into J-Fashion. I love this series so much.

Also super happy they spoke about younger vkei fans attacking artists. Like I stg they will directly dm bandmen and it’s just so bizarre that they think that behavior is acceptable

I think tik tok just has a lot of misinformation, and because people label anything as “vkei” it muddles what vkei actually is. That is why I don’t like tik tok, especially because it’s the same case with gyaru. A lot of the new fans have more problematic behavior towards bandmen, and even attack other fans that have been in the scene longer. I’ve been a fan for around 4 years I think? But I tend to stay away from things like vkei twt and such for the same reason, it just has started to become toxic. Similar to kpop and the direction people have started going towards has just changed. Before people were just more welcoming and everyone got along better but now you can’t say anything without getting attacked for having a different opinion. I will always love the music and artists though, even though I consider myself a goth etc. I will always love vkei the most, j-fashion for da win

I produce visual Kei style music. A main distinction I like to point out is: The music has well placed melody and harmony. Includes brilliant orchestration an unique tones The outfits are ' classy' and well thought out The Hairstyles are generally uniquely Japanese . A relative anime character vibe.

Loved this video, I don't see visual Kei get much attention anymore so this made me really happy 💗

So happy to see VKei getting some love lately! It warms my little goth heart all the way back to the 2000s 💕💕💕

I have many ideas of fashion : -Yume kawaii - Mori - Larme kei - Otome -and Gurokawa

I am a 35 year old guy who loves visual, anguro and oshare kei from 80s-2010? I was on many concerts like Moi Dix Mois, Gackt, Versailles, An Cafe, Dir En Grey etc

I think that V Kei music is actually very distinctive, it's way more experimental than the western music, it also blends more genres, the same with fashion, it's more experimental and usually leans more towards feminine styles

I love the J-Fashion Mythbusters series, so I'm happy to be a part of one! It was fun talking to you and Taka!!

I loved visual kei for around 11 years, kote kei is my favorite both music and aesthetic wise I feel 90s and early 2000s was the best era for visual kei. I also experiment with the fashion sometimes since 2014 although its not my daily look...I always felt its abit of both that visual kei fashion could not exist without the music and the music could not exist without the fashion either way I love it and wish it had a bigger following again haha

I've been into VKei for about three years now, and the whole time I thought Kei meant style🙈 I learned a lot of new things from this video, so thank you so much! Btw my fav VKei band is Arlequin^^

Love these vids! Would you consider doing one on Larme? It’s just a magazine in Japan, but Westerners have tied the idea of “girly kei” to Larme, and now there are overseas communities online centered on broadly the types of outfits that might have been featured in Larme.

My big sister was into visual key when she was 13-16. She's nine years older than me so I remember being in awe of her style and the music she liked. I'm glad I can finally get some context behind it all :D

I love these videos! It's so fascinating to see all of these different perspectives. From how the guests described it, it seems a lot like American alternative cultures! (I mainly think of goth or punk) Everything from the music/style/culture debate to the way that many outsiders don't really care to learn about it. Speaking specifically of punk, since I'm more involved in that scene, it's basically a political movement based on music, which has spawned it's own cultures, ritual, and fashion, to the point that one "punk" may look like a standard businessman, while another goes all out as far as making a fashion statement! It's fascinating how these groups grow and evolve over time :)

I think the keyword you were all missing about Visual Kei is that it's a "subculture". From what I read, it started as a sort of counter culture to what was popular in Japan at the time with the first few crop of bands wanting to do something different that wasn't being done much which was the rock/metal sound that was popular in the West at the time which was the Hard Rock bands that were shared above (Motley Crue, Kiss, etc.). So I would say that it was a music-based scene that also played in tangent with a certain look which was not strictly defined since as shared, many of the bands had different visual looks among themselves but the sound was still more or less hard rock and/or heavy metal in instrumentation.

STAN MATENROU OPERA SO TRUE

finally, vkei video. wish you had links to were to buy vkei. Visual Kei started as a music thing. Visual being the American equivalent of shock rock. hence the 'visual'. Sad they didn't bring this up. It start as a music genre with Japan X. But the rest has evolved from that. Like, I get yall talk about it but its also important as to what 'vkei is' Its deffinately a music thing to say the least. but also a fashion thing.

I live in Japan and used to often wear Civarize. But I’m in my 30s now and feel a lot of pressure to “dress my age”…

I loves the video! I was really into VK the last decade (2011-2020), I didn't wore the fashion but I loved the music, especially the GazettE, X Japan and hide's solo project (R.I.P.). What made me step away were the toxic fans, I couldn't stand it anymore. When there were rumors about some band member having a girlfriend or getting married, there was such a huge outcry on social media.🤣Like 1. it's just a rumor and 2. you will never marry them anyway let alone meeting them private in real life, calm down. I still listen to the music but I don't interact with the fandom anymore and I'm not so obsessed with the bands themselves anymore. I stopped reading or watching interviews, buying merch and collecting photo books. I also remember shops with Japanese Products in Germany (specifically CDs,DVDs, magazines, Manga, Anime related products) having some magazines with VK content but when the K-Pop hype began it got all wiped out except for some CDs. Also an Online shop for J-music I regularly bought limited cd/DVD editions and photo books added K-Pop to their shop. I remember being at the Dokomi asking a seller if he has some VK magazines like Rock&Read and he was like "No, I used to but I have some photo books with BTS or Black Pink , do you want that" and I was like "noo, I don't want that". Haha

Vkei was my introduction to japan and today i'm soon graduating in japanese at university so this video make me happy ❤️

I’m a metalhead myself, even though I’m not familiar with Visual Kei I find it interesting how these two subcultures overlap because a good chunk of V-kei bands are actually power metal in terms of sound. Sadly it’s not a subgenre I listen to, so I wish there are more darker/experimental Visual Kei bands somewhere

This interview is very nostalgic to me! As a teen in the 2000 visual kei, jrock and jpop were my thing. I come from the northeast of Brazil (not Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo) and I know many people in my region that were also very influenced by it. My favourite band was Malice Mizer and my husband's X Japan. We dream with the day we can watch X Japan performing since we heard rumours they were back 2017. But after the pandemic I'm not so sure they are on concert anymore

I am definitely curious about this video. I am currently writing on a paper about Vkei and I am glad that more people on RU-vid make content like this, there have been some very good videos about it lately.

I’m starting to get into this subculture and so far, this has helped a lot. The music is amazing!

I got into vkei maybe a year or two ago, and I thought it was very music based and that you couldn’t like vkei if you didn’t listen to the music, or at least know them. So hearing it’s a lot more vague kind of surprised me

Yay, I have been hoping you would make a video about vkei! Very well put together. 😊

ONG I’ve been needing a video like this pls do moreeee

OMG I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR A VKEI VIDEO FINALLYY !!!

YES I'VE BEEN WATIING FOREVER FOR THIS! Thanks!!!

I have been a fan of VK for over 2 decades now and for many who are a part of this subculture this is their life although many Japanese girls ‘graduate‘ around their mid- to late 20s here in Japan. You don’t have to dress VK to be a fan of VK or participate in the subculture that’s what I love about it the most. Although it has its very very difficult aspects like girls giving money to their favorite bandmen and bandguys sometimes basically prostituting themselves, the fight between girls who are fans of the same bands etc its still a subculture that gives a lot of people who thing different a place to call their home and community. it’s a subculture you have to experience in Japan to get a feel of it.

Visual Kei was my shit back in middle school ('07-'08), and I randomly started getting more videos about it recommended to me recently. Educate meeeeeee! It definitely feels like it's not just a single thing--it's definitely a combination of music, fashion, and culture. I would definitely consider it a subculture!

I love visual kei and when I've transitioned somewhat i intend to be a androgynous VK guy :3

I got into vkei late 2023 and I think the fashion and music are important equally, and the music is a lot of different genera’s. I love vkei so much! I’m so glad people are talking about it more and more ppl are getting into it! Like me

19:38 sounds like you started beat boxing there for a moment

Hearing the stories of people who know visual kei much longer is really interesting. I had the feeling that there were a lot of changes and transformations (even morphing different styles) over the years. (in music & fashion). I had the feeling, that in Switzerland the fashion and the music always showed up together. (but the popularity has faded )

Could you do a Yami Kawaii, Mori Kei, and Natural Kei?

I'm got into visual kei at 2005 and absent from it since 2015 but coming back at 2020 and already many things happen and change in the fandom or i'm just getting old LMAO. This kind of discussion already happened in the past too. But honestly i don't really care if it's label for only visual/fashion or music as long as they make good music, i also like the style or fashion but i don't see the label or its description as something crucial, since art is freedom. At the end they're all musician and sell music as main.

I LOOOOVE VKEI IM SO EXCITED TO WATCH THIS VIDEO🤎🤎🤎

I have a few points to add. If you ask Japanese people what is visual kei, they call it just a (stage) fashionstyle but don't really see it as a music genre. Overseas people do feel more its a mix of both. And somehow vkei bands cannot really explain what they can explain with vkei and not with other genres. and I believe lately nobody really called it a culture yet. I've interviewed a bunch of bands, which make it feel they just wear this style to get attention of people and not really as devoiting themselfs to vkei culture as it was in the past. So it changes over time for sure. But a vkei bandguy also once said, vkei is telling people a fake fantasy a dream while rock is showing your trueself. (a bandman who was active in both genres But of course there are still bands who totally take it seriously. But lots of vkei bandman don't even wear any vkei looking clothes off stage but dress totally hiphop or other normal casual clothes in their dailylife 😄 for them vkei is just a stage fashion but not really something what they care much in their daily life. But overseas we also love to label bands vkei who don't feel they are vkei or never were called vkei in the past at all. So its also kind of personal when you feel something is vkei. older bandguys hate to be called vkei nowadays because the younger generation doesn't really care to deliver good music beside looking good🤨 So some who where clearly vkei get frustrated if you still label them as vkei. They don't wanna be seen as cheap host looking guys 😂 And no, Shazna made vkei popular and accepted it was not MANA. and no bands didn't feel too good for vkei but their labels forced them to cut them out of vkei, because vkei wasn't accepted mainstreamly at all. Bands got canceled for looking wild. So to be more popular or being sighned to a bigger label they had to drop their vkei style. which is sad. And this was same for glam bands they has a hard time to be even accepted. read my interviews with Tomonori Nagasawa Akima Tsuneo (Rama Amoeba, ex-Marchosias Vamp) silver rose To discover more about how things really were in the past. and of course all other bands who tell what vkei is for them and why they are amazing. The rest I do agree with 😊 Was really good content about vkei the best so far 😊 and yes there is no correct way of dressing vkei... it changes a lot of well, so just dress how you wanna express yourself. and jrockone is a forum where you cannot have a different opinion about things than the staff, I really thought they were good online friends, but after all they...

I love this video! Visual Kei first grabbed my attention when I watched Miyavi's Neo Visualizm video.

Thank u for doing this! I've been into vkei for a long time and I was so sad I couldn't find any ypu tubers who do this style so I def will follow taka!

the teased hair reminds me of 80s new romantic/goth hair styles

Can't wait to see !! >

It was fashion but it was also a genre. The reality is vk was more than an image, it actually did have a "sound" until the 2000s, contrary to what the American wikipedia article (the source of a lot of people's "knowledge") says about it. Even though different vk eras drew from different genres, there's a clear sonic throughline running through X Japan, to Buck Tick, to Luna Sea, to Kuroyume, Zi:Kill, to Baiser, to early DeG, etc etc. Sparkly, jangy guitars, but not in a Byrds/The Smiths sort of way. Not in a midwest emo sort of way either. Lots of dreamy ethereality. "Out of place" uptempo drum parts. An incredibly distinct way of vocalizing you won't find outside vk. etc etc. At some point this lineage just ended and no new band from that point felt culturally connected to it anymore.

this is such a good video, im so happy you brought up the part about respect, everyones gonna have differing opinions and thats okay

oh how cool! i didnt think youd make a video about vkei

i'm starting to learn more about vkei and this was a super informative conversation! thank you so much

i’m so happy i found this video i know only a little bit about vkei and really wanted to get into it and this video help a lot :D

i’m gonna check out that brand now thanks 🖤

The comments are so fresh😭

I personally don’t see the issue with translating 系 as “style” or even “core” to use a more modern word. Translation isn’t just about turning a word from one language into another. There are a lot of Japanese words that encompass a broader idea or vision rather than just one word.

Love looove vkei !🖤🌹 been a fan since I was a wee lil bat. Delighted to see deadman on here

Ah wow, I was listening to this while doing my makeup and I think it rekindled my love for Vkei again, something I kind of drifted away from for a few years recently. Time to go check on the bands I used to listen to and see how many of them have disbanded since then (lol... but actually sob)

Great video. :) But small correction... Word "angura" describes something different and aren't related to Visual Kei. It's word "underground" in japanese pronunciation and is related to japanese underground theater from 60s if I'm correct, it was some really dark fashion in 90s, but not Visual Kei. Western people started calling bands like Kagrra and Kiryu as Angura Kei, but it's misinformation, it's Wafuu Kei, from word "Wa" which was old name of Japan and it means just japanese style, kimonos, traditional japanese instruments etc.

cant wait :33

I love you sm cybr

Ooh wow i love Vkei but didnt know much about it.

Visual kei people would love royale high

I will now stan the matenrou opera

Good video. Continue on your road on getting the silver play button

21:03 RUKI SPOTTED?! Sorry I really like the gazette..

I’d love to find out more about vk! I’ve been into more edgy styles lately :D

slightly unrelated, but i’ve been getting mixed signals about oshare kei and i don’t know where to search for information. is it a substyle of vkei or no? is the fashion worn outside of bands’ stage personas? what’s the history behind oshare kei? so many unanswered questions!

日本ではヴィジュアル系は常に過小評価されロックミュージシャンから馬鹿にされていました。容姿についても音楽についても。彼等はあんなものは歌謡曲でありロックではないと言いました。海外の本物のロックを知ってる者からすれば笑い者だといった扱いで、ロック雑誌（ロッキングオンなど）に載る事は決してありませんでした。ヴィジュアル系はヴィジュアル系の専門誌に載る事がほとんどでした。そういった攻撃が一番強かったのがGLAYやSHAZNAが登場したころだと思います。彼等はそれまでのバンドよりソフトな面を持っていた為に大衆に受けましたがヴィジュアル系はより一層馬鹿にされるようになり、ヴィジュアル系と呼ばれる事を避けるバンドも多くなりました。そんな中でL'Arc〜en〜Ciel が番組MCにヴィジュアル系と呼ばれた事に反発してテレビ番組をボイコットするというような事も起きました。ヴィジュアル系が音楽ジャンルではなくファッションの事であるという分類はその頃に生まれたと感じています。音楽的に多様なバンドが現れもはや共通点を見つけるのが大変になったのです。つまり共通点は化粧をしているという事だけでした。 しかし今振り返ればBUCK-TICKとX JAPANでも音楽的なルーツは全く異なる事に気付きます。BUCK-TICKはパンクやニューウェーブのバンドをルーツにしており、X JAPANはメタルがルーツです。つまり元々化粧をしているということ以外に共通点は存在しなかったのかもしれません。

both, visual kei have a music formules and sounds

I wanna be v-kei but like im not skinny and its hard to find oufits that would fit me and idk where to look jf somone has recommendations also im very poor no moneeyy if ppl could recommend cheaper stuff for me to buy clothes pls tell me ♡

the kirbYYYYY

Rubie Drive

I am going to sleep(

Moore Mountains

Jackson Cynthia Wilson Michelle Perez Michael

Lewis Donna Moore Mary Garcia Timothy

Lee Brenda Young Nancy Taylor Amy

Young Daniel Allen William White Betty

Lopez Jose Hall Carol Thompson Charles

Music Genre pushing a fashion sense = Cosplay - Harajuku

Gonzalez Lisa Lopez Jessica Thomas Timothy

Bruh I thought visual kei was a person 💀

Allen Donna Rodriguez Michelle Lewis Mary

Perez Anna Martinez Paul Harris George

Thomas Frank Lee Sandra Garcia Jeffrey

Clark Dorothy Martin Charles Jones Joseph

It's strange to actually know one of your guests. Small world.

Visual kei was a movement it's a established culture now case closed

Living in japan since 2008, came here in 2006 because I liked vk music. I really don't think its fashion as all. It was very clearly a music style. If the fans don't cosplay, they usually don't dress like the bands. They are just going in normal clothes or maybe gothic lolita or any other cuter style. The make up and stage clothes comes off as soon as they leave the stage and usually they just wear jeans and t-shirts or famously adidas tracksuits *laugh*. I often look more rock than my musician friends off stage and I generally just wear ripped jeans and oversized shirts with boots and dark make up. nothing special really. As mentioned before by others, the fangirl community of the v-kei bands can be pretty toxic and it's very host-ish and always was. It can really kill your joy going to the concerts as going as a non japanese sometimes feels a bit like stepping on landmines when walking through the fans eventhough i disturb nobody and stay glued to the wall most of the time. No community sense really.

Hi wanna be friends

it is a dead fad lol

So the white girl is insure about being into a Japanese fashion and goes straight into thinking that people think she's fetishizing? it sounds a bit like self projection

wound up here because Raleigh North Carolina of all places has a kote kei band? shout out to @flooddistrict y’all got me watching kei video essays at 2AM

#cybrgrl . I listen to Visual Kei. I don't dress Kei fashion, my fashion is Victorian Goth, I like Malice Mizer, #MoidixMois, #Destrose, #MagistinaSaga #Versaillesband , many more. I don't dress J fashions, I do support J fashions, I do have friends dress J fashions.

Taka 😁

I love the style But absolutely hate the music 🐀

Where are some of the places they shop

I produce visual Kei style music. A main distinction I like to point out is: The music has well placed melody and harmony. Includes brilliant orchestration an unique tones The outfits are ' classy' and well thought out The Hairstyles are generally uniquely Japanese . A relative anime character vibe.